Everyone from Ryan Reynolds to RuPaul to Billy Porter appears in Taylor Swift’s music video for “You Need to Calm Down,” the second single off the singer’s upcoming seventh album Lover. The track is all about support for the LGBTQ+ community, a theme that resonates throughout the video as well.
In the clip, directed by Swift and Drew Kirsch, Swift is living in a very colorful trailer park, hanging out in an above-ground swimming pool as her trailer burns behind her. Her neighbors include numerous LGBTQ+ pop culture icons, including Laverne Cox, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jonathan Van Ness and Ellen DeGeneres. There is even a Taylor Swift drag impersonator. The most important moment comes towards the end of the celebratory video when Swift, dressed as French fries, reunites with her former rival Katy Perry, who is dressed as a burger.
Asked a few friends to be in the You Need To Calm Down video ? Out tomorrow at 8:15am ET pic.twitter.com/QFp2Ni4Lb0
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 16, 2019
Swift, who made a surprise appearance at New York’s Stonewall Inn during Pride, has recently been vocal about LGBTQ+ issues. She penned a letter to Republican senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to ask for his support in passing the Equality Act when the bill reaches the U.S. Senate and created an online petition to help encourage the legislation. “I’ve decided to kick off Pride Month by writing a letter to one of my senators to explain how strongly I feel that the Equality Act should be passed,” the singer wrote in an Instagram caption. “I urge you to write to your senators too.”
The close title of the “You Need to Calm Down” video also directs fans to the petition, noting, “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.”
“You Need to Calm Down” followed “Me!” as the first tracks from Lover, out August 23rd. Swift recently appeared on Instagram Live to reveal the details for her album, which will have four different deluxe versions available for the physical release. She did not reveal the official track list, but did say the album will include 18 songs along with voice memos from her songwriting and recording sessions, just like on deluxe editions of 1989. The album is available to pre-order now.
Swift will also collaborate with British fashion designer Stella McCartney on a new collection, which will be inspired by the album’s songs. “She’s been a friend for a really long time, and also just a woman I respect so much,” Swift revealed during her Instagram Live appearance. “I respect what she creates, how she creates it. There’s so much whimsy and imagination and romance to the clothing that she designs, and I’ve worn a lot of her stuff recently.”